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I cracked the drain plug, now how can I remove it? What are my options?
I did a drain and fill 2 yrs ago and torqued it to 36 ft/lbs. Not sure why it won't move.
I read in a Honda Civic forum that a 50-50 solution of ATF and Acetone works good.
That could have been one of my posts LOL
After all else fails, I might employ judicious use of a hammer and chisel or punch, with the goal of forcing the broken plug to rotate in the counterclockwise direction..
Drive car till nice and hot. You want the case expanded as much as you can.
You can use a heavy heatgun or small torch (DONT BURN THE CAR UP!!!!) to maintain the heat at the plug.
Take the CRC circuit chiller spray and spray the inside of the bolt, wear gloves and safety gear face shield etc. , You want to chill the bolt fast as possible then put a small impact wrench in to get it loose. Because of the heat reserve in the mass of the trans and fluid you can likely cool it a second time if the first try doesn't do it. The idea is to shrink the plug and not the trans-housing so it gets looser.
Don't go crazy you want to do the work with vibration not torque.
If this does not work
And your confident in your shade tree howler monkey skills,,,
(THis is a 4.5 out of 5 banana job)
You may need to drill the center of the plug with a left twist 3/8 drill, let the transmission drain, (Yes this makes one hell of a mess I suggest a large drip tray, I've used a clothes storage tray, looks like a giant tupperware container to catch the splash. ) Try the small impact and chill again.
If still no joy Then (sadly) you'll need a couple/few left hand drill bits, one that just takes out the square hole, then one just slightly larger, the idea is you keep drilling counter clockwise with larger bits until your just at the inner thread diameter.. If your careful, and you don't drill too big, but drill just big enough you can pick the remains of the plug out of the original threads, then use a wand magnet the clean the debris out. Most of the time I find the left twist bits will eventually walk the plug or broken bolt out if you take your time. Before any thread damage occurs.
Left hand bits can be had from some tool suppliers, and online, they are more expensive. DON'T use an easy out on this problem, they aren't easy and they are a $#&$*&#^ to remove if broken off.
They actually sell steel repair inserts that will self tap in to the original hole,
If you get an original plug you'll know the biggest you can drill.. This is assuming you get out of alignment and gouge the original holes threads out. When you put the self tapping one in ,, you run it in and out untill its 90 % of the way, then back it out, clean everything with carb cleaner, dry well, run the repair plug back in until its bottomed against the flange on it, be gentle, then remove one more time, use the nasty green lock-tight sleeve locker and run it in quickly and tighten firmly. Once this is in, the Loctight requires almost 500 degrees to soften, and only heat will get it out!
You need a nice heavy duty 1/2 inch slow turning drill for this job. If you have any doubts about your skill,, transmission shops do this.. You have been warned...
FYI 36ft lbs is about double what that plug needs to stay in.. and ALWAYS use never-seize when putting a steel plug in Aluminum. I use a 6" ratchet and one hand / 4fingers to tighten that kind of plug.
Good luck, and remember cars live on the blood of humans to operate correctly...
Drive car till nice and hot. You want the case expanded as much as you can.
You can use a heavy heatgun or small torch (DONT BURN THE CAR UP!!!!) to maintain the heat at the plug.
Take the CRC circuit chiller spray and spray the inside of the bolt, wear gloves and safety gear face shield etc. , You want to chill the bolt fast as possible then put a small impact wrench in to get it loose. Because of the heat reserve in the mass of the trans and fluid you can likely cool it a second time if the first try doesn't do it. The idea is to shrink the plug and not the trans-housing so it gets looser.
Don't go crazy you want to do the work with vibration not torque.
If this does not work
And your confident in your shade tree howler monkey skills,,,
(THis is a 4.5 out of 5 banana job)
You may need to drill the center of the plug with a left twist 3/8 drill, let the transmission drain, (Yes this makes one hell of a mess I suggest a large drip tray, I've used a clothes storage tray, looks like a giant tupperware container to catch the splash. ) Try the small impact and chill again.
If still no joy Then (sadly) you'll need a couple/few left hand drill bits, one that just takes out the square hole, then one just slightly larger, the idea is you keep drilling counter clockwise with larger bits until your just at the inner thread diameter.. If your careful, and you don't drill too big, but drill just big enough you can pick the remains of the plug out of the original threads, then use a wand magnet the clean the debris out. Most of the time I find the left twist bits will eventually walk the plug or broken bolt out if you take your time. Before any thread damage occurs.
Left hand bits can be had from some tool suppliers, and online, they are more expensive. DON'T use an easy out on this problem, they aren't easy and they are a $#&$*&#^ to remove if broken off.
They actually sell steel repair inserts that will self tap in to the original hole,
If you get an original plug you'll know the biggest you can drill.. This is assuming you get out of alignment and gouge the original holes threads out. When you put the self tapping one in ,, you run it in and out untill its 90 % of the way, then back it out, clean everything with carb cleaner, dry well, run the repair plug back in until its bottomed against the flange on it, be gentle, then remove one more time, use the nasty green lock-tight sleeve locker and run it in quickly and tighten firmly. Once this is in, the Loctight requires almost 500 degrees to soften, and only heat will get it out!
You need a nice heavy duty 1/2 inch slow turning drill for this job. If you have any doubts about your skill,, transmission shops do this.. You have been warned...
FYI 36ft lbs is about double what that plug needs to stay in.. and ALWAYS use never-seize when putting a steel plug in Aluminum. I use a 6" ratchet and one hand / 4fingers to tighten that kind of plug.
Good luck, and remember cars live on the blood of humans to operate correctly...
After soaking it with atf and acetone solution and using an impact wrench, I was able to loosen it and drain the oil. Thanks for reminding me of the impact wrench. I forgot that i have that tool
Luckily I only damaged the plug nd not the gearbox.
But since dealers are close on Sunday, i will have to wait tomorrow to get a new drain plug. I already ordered the part and will pick it up tomorrow from the dealer.
Thanks for all the response!
I'm late to this thread. Do NOT remove the drain plug until you have loosed the fill plug. If you remove the drain & fluid, but then can't remove the fill plug you are in for a world of hurt.
OK now with the fill plug loosed remove the drain plug. It will require proper leverage to remove. Maybe a pipe over the end of the breaker bar for added oomph.
COOL, Its not a low stress deal when your thinking transmission pull to remove a plug that's for sure!
Originally Posted by ashchuckton
I'm late to this thread. Do NOT remove the drain plug until you have loosed the fill plug. If you remove the drain & fluid, but then can't remove the fill plug you are in for a world of hurt.
OK now with the fill plug loosed remove the drain plug. It will require proper leverage to remove. Maybe a pipe over the end of the breaker bar for added oomph.
Remember this for the next time you do this.
I remember I did use the dipstick hole to refill last time
Where is the fill plug located on GE8?
I change the tranny on all my Auto's that also use a corner of the radiator as a cooler. Pull the return line and stick it on a gallon jug. Start the car and let 1-3 quarts piss out. Shut the car off, refill with new what you just took out. Do this till the fluid comes out new. It will, just after the total number of quarts goes thru it...
